Tekken Boss Harada Inspired by Super Smash Bros.

Tekken 3D Prime Edition is less that a week away, the second major 3DS release of the year so far. It's a fighting series typically associated with experienced and mature gamers, but in the latest Iwata Asks Katsuhiro Harada has spoken about his desire to bring Tekken to a broader range of players, and explained why 3DS is the perfect platform.

His source of inspiration, Super Smash Bros, may surprise some, but it shows how Prime Edition has been designed to cater for all gamers. This is easily one of the most entertaining Iwata Asks interviews, so we've picked out some of the best bits for you to enjoy.

Also, when we made this game for the Nintendo 3DS system, we had a different type of customer in mind than ever before. There was a reason for that. When I watched an American pro-gamer tournament called Major League Gaming, they had a Tekken and Super Smash Bros. section, and the type of participants and their reactions really made an impression on me. The participants at Tekken were all over eighteen, it was a group of big, brawny guys. Some of them were almost in their forties.

I was like, "It'd be faster if you just fought in real life!" (laughs) On the other hand, Super Smash Bros. had everyone from adults to kids, even women so I thought they would be all playing cheerfully together, but there were these deafening cheers coming from them playing tournaments, like "Auuugghhh!" I saw that and I was convinced that participants feel the same things while they play Super Smash Bros. and Tekken.

Seeing that and thinking, "I want these people to play Tekken, too!" was one of the things that lead us to release it for Nintendo 3DS.

Are you looking forward to Tekken 3D Prime Edition? More importantly, will it make you go 'Auuugghhh' when taking the fight to others?

Welsh ex-pat Tom is responsible for the day-to-day running of the site. He's the guy to thank for the generally brilliant nature of the content which massages your eyeballs on a daily basis. Also has an unhealthy obsession with all things Bowser.

Inspiring story, but Super Smash Bros and Tekken, well... they're not the same in many many ways, so I found weird the comparison =PI believe because SSB has so many characters from so many famous videogames kingdoms and because it's game play it's much more playable for everyone, it's what it takes to create the "Auuugghhh!" effect =POf course Tekken it's enjoyable too!

And all of the unrealistic physics and items and rules and special battle. To make Tekken get the same reaction is to change Tekken from what it is, to something else. I can't wait to see what has been done to this game.

"The participants at Tekken were all over eighteen, it was a group of big, brawny guys. Some of them were almost in their forties. I was like, "It'd be faster if you just fought in real life!" (laughs)"

Not sure why people are thinking they changed the game. All he said he did was just putting it on 3DS so that more people will be able to play it. And that means a more diverse audience. Only thing they added that you "hardcores" would be worried about would be the touchscreen shortcuts. But really, if you suck at Tekken and don't understand it, you'll still suck even with the touchscreen. It's still Tekken.

@metafanielEr...no. What makes people go "Auuugghhh!" or make any other reaction is the exhilaration of beating the crap out of someone else. It's the competitive spirit inside many of us that makes people do it. It's the satisfaction that you're able to beat someone down, without actually physically beating them down. In that way, Super Smash Bros. and Tekken are similar. You can pretty much say the same for many fighting games really. Disagree if you'd like, this is just one gamer's opinion, the opinion of a gamer whose played games ever since he was a kid and had, and is still having, fun.

@Robo-goose They just made it accessible for newbies. That's basically it. However, the game doesn't force you to take short cuts in how you perform the moves. You can still do all the fancy finger work you did on consoles to perform a special move in Tekken 3D.

Harada basically included specific options targeting new comers (which lets face it, there are a lot of them among the Nintendo user base who never played a game from the series) in order to slowly get them to like and get really into game. Hoping that once they love the game more than enough, they will try and learn how to play it properly. Without any help of any sort. In that interview, he compared it to someone using premade food to cook a meal. And when they get enough confidence, they start trying to learn how to make the food themselves.

Anyway, this is what Harada said about Tekken 3D and why one should give it a look-see:

"There's no other Tekken that has so much packed into it, whether it be the full length movie or the fact that there are forty characters. We made sure to make it 60 FPS, and we have designed the game system that can even affect your play control. What we made is definitely Tekken".

@Koto If you read the interview, you'd see that one of the motivations for the macros is to allow people who understand the game but lack the dexterity to execute to play better. I remember someone telling me that SF4 on the 3DS could be played sort of like a puzzle game by using the touchscreen controls...

So far the game has recieved reviews around the 8/10, 80 percent mark. Its main attribute is its stunning visual intensity in 3D at 60 fps which now sets a high standard bar for all fighters from now on. The problem is that it doesn't have the story or arcade modes (??!!). I'd rather have had the 3D movie as DLC (even to pay for) and have had the story and arcade modes. Still insta-buy as its my favourite fighting series

@Robo-goose People who play Smash Bros. at tournaments are by no means casual gamers. The Smash Bros. series has a surprising amount of depth in its fighting system (especially in Melee) while remaining accessable to those who aren't fighting game experts or won't put dozens of hours of practice into advanced techniques, although you'll still regularily get your butt kicked by those who are more skilled at the game. This kind of accessability is what I think Harada is aiming for with Tekken 3D.

Heh. When I read "Auuugghhh!" in this article, in my mind I read it with the Colossus scream from the X-Men arcade game. I'm a Super Smash Bros. fan and player, myself, but I simply can't compete with the most serious of players. To them, Smash Bros. is not a nice and friendly game. So, I generally play with my friends, who range from less skilled than me to considerably better.

This game is definitely on my radar but I already know I want to get Super Street Fighter IV. Plus, I'm considering Dead or Alive as well. Should I forget about Dead or Alive or just go ahead and have 3 fighting games in my future 3DS library?

If you have the money to spend, get all three. They are pretty different from each other anyway. Now Tekken is the only one I am missing. Not an instabuy, but I will keep it in mind and wait for reviews.

I really love how Iwata is opening up the interviews to more and more third party developers. You can really learn some fascinating facts, and it goes to show they want other companies to take the spotlight too.